Seed-planter.



No. 658,450. Patented Sept. 25, |900.

H. C. KETTLER.

SEED PLANTEB.

(Application led Apr. 26, 1900.)

(No Model.)

@ci i NrrEE STATES` ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. KETTLER, OF MOUNT OLEMENS, MICHIGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,450, datedSeptember 25, 19'00.

` Application filed April 26, 1900. Serial. N0. 14,373. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. KETTLER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Mount Clemens, in the county of Macomb and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in seed-planters ofthat class in which the seed-hopper is provided with a revolving bottomhaving an annular series of pockets adapted to carry a predeterminedquantity of seed to the discharging devices.

My invention has for its object to make a seed-planter which is not onlyadapted for planting any kind of seed, but particularly for plantingbeet-seed, the cultivation of which in the past has been done bydropping the seeds close together in a continuous row and then weedingout the young plants until they are spaced the desired distance apart;and to this end my invention consists in so constructing a seeder thatthe individual seed may be dropped at predetermined intervals apart,thus dispensing with the necessity of weeding out the plants which hasheretofore been done by hand.

As beet-seeds have practically no mobility as compared with other seeds,my invention contemplates the forcible expulsion of the seed from thepockets, and further consists in the employment of a stationaryfeed-hopper having an inner conical wall and outer vertical wall,forming between them at their base an annular discharge openingregistering with the pockets of the rotary feed-disk, the form of thehopper being such that the greater portion of the weight of the seed isremoved from the rotary feed-disk, which also prevents the seed frombeing carried around by the feed-disk and becoming lodged.

The invention further consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the various parts, all as more fully hereinafterdescribed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa rear elevation of the seed-hopper. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof,showing the running-gear and drive mechanism. Fig. 3 is a verticalcentral section on line .e e', Fig. 2.

D is a gear-wheel fa'st on the axle, and E isr a shaft parallel with theaxle and carrying a straight gea'rE, meshing with the gear D, and abevel-gear E2, removably secured on said shaft.

` F is a shaft extending at right angles to the shaft E and carrying atits forward end a bevel-gear F', feathered thereon and adapted to meshwith the gear E2, said shaft being mounted in suitable bearings on theplatform and carrying at its rear end the crank-disk G. I alsopreferably provide a suitable handlever for throwing the bevel-gear Finto and out of mesh with the drive-gear E2, said gear being removablysecured on the shaft, so that diHerent-sized gears may be substituted,as would be necessary when it is desired to change the distance apartthat the seed are to be dropped.

H is a vert-ical shaft fixedlysecured in the center ofthesupporting-platform, and I is a circular feed-disk pivoted on said shaftand provided with an annular series of perforations or seed-pockets aand a standing flange b near its outer edge, said iiange havinga seriesof radial slots o' in line with said pockets. c indicates a series ofperipheral ratcheteteeth cut in the face of said flange and with whichthe back stop c is adapted to engage. Y

C is a seed-hopper removablysleeved on the fixed standard H by means ofthe setscrew g, said hopper being composed of an inner conical wall dand an outer vertical wall. e, connected together by an arched trans-Verse web f, which forms the supporting means for the outer wall. Itwill thus be seen that the hopper may be readily'relnoved by simplyloosening the set-screw g should it be desired at any time to change therotary feeddisk for one having pockets of different size.

Spaced along the wall e are a plurality of brushes h, adapted to ll thepockets a with seed, the brush h of which forms the cut-off. By having anumber of these brushes the pockets will always be filled no matter howmuch the hopper may be tilted in planting on a hillside or going overrough ground.

J is a rod mounted in suitable guide-bear-y IOO ings on the rear edge ofthe platform, and formed on its upper face is an inclined cam 1l, whileto one of its sides is attached one end of the connecting-rod j, adaptedto impart movement thereto, and secured to its opposite side is thespring-actuated dog t", adapted to engage with the peripheralratchet-teeth c, formed on the rotary feed=disk, and impart astep=bystep movement thereto.

K is a spring-pressed knocker-bar pivotally secured at its inner end tothe standard Hand having on its under side a projection k, adapted toregister with the pockets in the feed-disk and expel the seed heldtherein.

i is a cam on the rod J, adapted to raise said knocker-bar out of thevertical slots b'.

Z is a spring-pressed plunger guided in the tube m, secured to the sideof the hopper and resting with its lower end on the knocker-bar K, sothat as the cam 'i is withdrawn from un- `the fixed feed-hopper ofthefeed-disk formed with. an annular series of pockets and provided with aperipheral series of ratchet-teeth, of the reciprocating slide, the dogcarried by derneath the knocker-bar the feed-disk will be rotated andthe bar will slide along the upper side of the flange or wall b until itregisters with the next slot, when the springpressed knocker-bar willenter therein, and as this slot is in the same radial line as the pocketin the feed-disk the plunger k on the under side of said knocker-barwill enter said pocket, and thus forcibly expel the seed therefrom tothe ground, a seed-tube L being preferably secured to the under side ofthe platform to conduct the seed to the ground.

Having thus fully described my invention, l

it will be readily understood that in the operation of the parts eachseed will be given a sharp blow by the knocker-bar, and thus forciblypropelled to the ground, thus avoiding all danger of the seed becominglodged in the tube or not being deposited at the proper distance apart.

What I claim as my invention is l. In a seed-planter the combinationwith a rotary feed-disk provided with a concentric series of pockets, ofthe cylindrical feed-hopper having an inner conical wall iixedlysupported above said feed-disk and forming the supporting meanstherefor, said hopper ter- `a rotary feed-disk of a stationaryfeed-hopper independently supported above said feedminating at its lowerend in an annular discharge-opening corresponding to and registeringwith said pockets.

2. In a seed-planter the combination with an intermittently-openedfeed-disk provided with a concentric series of pockets, of the circularfeed-hopper removably supported above said feed-disk and composed of theouter cylindrical wall and the inner conical Wall staseries of pockets,of the cylindrical feed-hopper independently supported above said diskupon a vertical central standard and having an outer cylindrical Walland an inner conical wall forming between them at their base lon saidrail in Vits elevated position,and slots registeringwith the pockets inthe feed-disk formed at intervals along said rail for releas ing theknocker-bar.

5. In a seed-planter the combination with the slide for impartingintermittent moveL ment to the feed-disk, the upwardly-project-` ingguide-rail carried by said feed-disk and lprovided with radial slotscorresponding with the pockets, the spring-actuated knocker ridtentlyraising said knocker.

6. In a seed-planter the combination with` `an intermittently-operatedfeed disk provided with a series of pockets, a fixed feed- `hoppersupported above said feed-disk com-` posed of an inner conical wallmounted upon a vertical central standard and forming the l, supportingmeans for the hopper and an outer `vertical wall forming between them attheir base a segmental discharge-opening,an arched `transverse webconnecting said inner and 1 outer walls and forming the supporting means`for said outer wall and aplurality of brushes `operating at intervalsin said segmental opening.

7. In a seed-planter the combination with disk and composed of an innerconical wall sleeved upon a vertical central standard, an outercylindrical wall and a connecting transjverse web betweenthe outer andinner walls `and forming the supporting means for said outer wall.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. HENRY C. KETTLER.

Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, J osEPH A. NOELKE.

Va segmental annular discharge-opening reg- I OQ

